Bourbon - 6 March 2009 - 7pm GMT

[pkt77242]

The question is whether you'll be in anyshape to taste bourbons after meeting up with Gordon, let alone at the vaults!

I plan to be around off and on tomorrow so we shall see what everyone has to say. I think it has been a great tasting so far.

I agree with that as I sober up enought to sleep. I am not used to having nine whiskies in one night. I will stop by tomorrow to see th tasting notes but I will be drinking scotch as my dad sadly does really.like bourbon (though he does like scotch).

Sean

[Giovinetti]

Enjoy reading your notes.

I haven't had much in the way of bourbon just the low-price standard fare: Four Roses, Knob Creek, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey, Elijah Craig 12 + 18. They were all o.k. (except Four Roses which had a really funny taste). I liked the EC 18yo the best but I think it was because it seemed more like scotch whisky to me. Someday I would like to try the George T. Stagg.

[Spirit of Islay]

Hi Guys ,
Greetings from Edinburgh !
Great notes so far , will try to post a few next week as i'm otherwise disposed.......
I would join in but there aren't any Society Bourbons at the moment !
Enjoy tonight !
I'll try and restrain Willie tonight.......

[Ras Mazunga]

Great fun to read your notes.

[sspolv]

Oh dear.
I actually got the date mixed up on this one. I thought it was the 7th at 6pm GMT. I'll have notes up sometime soon, at most by next Sunday. I ended up coming home for spring break so some of my supply is, unfortunately, 5 hours away.

[TheTross]

Will be joining in with this shortly - about to pour a dram of Baker's 7

[Ganga]

I'm off to the library right now but will return shortly. Plan to try some bourbons today with some ice.

[TheTross]

Baker's 7yo (53.5%, Batch B-90-001)

Nose: Very soft and sweet, with marzipan and vanilla predominating initially. Also lots of fruit: citrus fruit, hints of red fruit and a slight touch of under-ripe banana. A little bit of mint, woodspice and honey. A very faint smokiness from time to time.

Palate: Incredibly soft, with immediate vanilla and citrus notes. Quite sugary. Suggestion of Kendal Mint Cake. Also a litle honeyed. Does get quite hot if left in the mouth for more than a few seconds.

Finish: Honeyed, with mint and slightly over-ripe orange.


An ultra-soft whiskey with a lovely colour. I like the nose on this the best, but it's one I could happily sip all night. Good stuff!

Thanks to Ras Mazunga for the sample

[Ganga]

Nice notes Tross! Unfortunately for me, not something I've had the opportunity to try. Soon I think.

[LagaDrinker]

Great notes guys, looking forward to joining in with you all after my race tomorrow

[TheTross]

Nice notes Tross! Unfortunately for me, not something I've had the opportunity to try. Soon I think.

Thanks! Bourbon's something that I've not really looked into much, but the few I've tried have all been very good.

About to move onto a sample of Buffalo Trace that Ras Mazunga kindly sent me a while back.

[Ganga]

I went through several of the bourbons last night in a brandy glass with no water and no ice. Today I plan to try a couple with ice.

Joshua Brook 8, 45%, tumbler with ice.

[Ganga]

Joshua Brook 8
Brand : Joshua Brook Expression : 8 yo
Nose : Spirity, lemony, rye Palate : raw oak astringent, feinty, lemons and oranges, light rye Finish : short, but sweet Comment : - Colour : August wheat Score : 0
Age : 8 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 45% Bottler : Frank-Lin Distillers	Type : Bourbon Region : Kentucky Water : - Ice : Cubes Glass : Tumbler Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[TreacleSponge]

Hi Ganga. I usually drink bourbon without ice but sometimes when I buy a new bottle I mess about with bourbons, when I wouldn't with single malt. Sometimes with ice, or sometimes I stick it in the freezer and see what occurs. I think it's a good way to explore them, especially if my palate gets bourbon-freeze and just goes "vanilla-oak-spice" and I can't distinguish one from another. A bit of ice can help kick-start my tasting on those days

[TreacleSponge]

I also find straight bourbons take longer to open up than malts, so mine have been poured a while and are sitting waiting for me

[Ganga]

Good morning/evening TS. I'm starting to get used to the flavor now. I'd suggest it is better without the ice. I'm going to retry this one with some water. Good suggestion on just chilling it a little bit.

[Ganga]

I do like to pour my malts and leave them sitting for 10-20 minutes before getting to them. Gives you a different feel for the whisky.

[Ganga]

As the ice melts, the rye becomes overly dominating. Next up, JB8 with room temp water.

[TheTross]

Buffalo Trace >9yo (45%)

Nose: Bitter-sweet; some marzipan and vanilla ice-cream, but also slightly woody and a little vegetal (though the latter disappears pretty quickly). Citrus fruit - bitter orange, lemon and a little lime. Lemon cheesecake springs to mind every now and then! Very slightly smoky and dusty. Hoppy?? Also slightly butyric. Chocolate develops after a while.

Palate: Quite mild and placid in taste, with just a few weak citrussy, honeyed and vanilla notes coming through. Also a little smoky and earthy.

Finish: Some smoke, honey and weak citrus. Leaves quite a dry and earthy/mossy taste behind.


I found this to be quite an earthy bourbon with not that much to say all in all, with only the nose being expressive. Not the best bourbon I've had by some stretch, but the nose is pretty good.

Thanks again to Ras Mazunga for the sample!

[TheTross]

Good morning/evening TS. I'm starting to get used to the flavor now. I'd suggest it is better without the ice. I'm going to retry this one with some water. Good suggestion on just chilling it a little bit.

I've never added ice to bourbon, and the only one I've added water to is GTS. Sensible, considering the one I have is >72% ABV... (can't remember what year that is now)

[Ganga]

72.4% Stagg is 2007 release. I find the over 70% Staggs better than those under. They also seem to be smoother and require no water in my opinion.

[TreacleSponge]

Do you mean as well as higher strength the Hazmats have better flavours? I like very woody bourbons best, ones that are all leather and tobacco and big oak. Elijah Craig is my favourite up until today, but maybe I'll find another favourite through this tasting.

[Ganga]

Joshue Brook 8
Brand : Joshua Brook Expression : 8 yo
Nose : rye bread, lemon meringue, gentle Italian spices Palate : rye dough, green orange rinds, bitter cocoa Finish : So short, you really want to say none Comment : - Colour : medium gold Score : 0
Age : 8 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 45% Bottler : Frank-Lin	Type : - Region : - Water : 2 Wh, 1 Water Ice : - Glass : - Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ganga]

Do you mean as well as higher strength the Hazmats have better flavours? I like very woody bourbons best, ones that are all leather and tobacco and big oak. Elijah Craig is my favourite up until today, but maybe I'll find another favourite through this tasting.

S'tan and I did a tasting of about 6 or 7 different Staggs. I found the flavor profile to fit me better-rye less prominent. Also, I wanted to add water to those under 70% but not to any of those over 70%.

[TreacleSponge]

Oh I see, I didn't think the flavours would vary so very much between each year's release, thanks for that Ganga.

[TreacleSponge]

Starting with lighter/sweeter ones, I'll kick off with Wild Turkey.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Brand : Wild Turkey Expression : Rare Breed
Nose : Caramel, Araldite (that really strong glue where you mix two tubes together), white chocolate. It takes a little while for that glue smell to fade. Eventually, honey and nuts. Palate : Slight chemical bitterness of that Araldite glue. Caramac bars (what are they.. white chocolate and caramel?), maple syrup, then burnt sugar. Finish : Medium. Milk chocolate. Ginger heat prickles then waves of gentle oak mixed with soft vanilla, becoming less sweet until it's just wood and spice. Comment : WT is a funny one for me. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I find it displays overpowering acetone. Today I'm not so big on it but it had a good finish. Perhaps I should have left it a little longer.The WT head distiller drinks this from the freezer. I've tried that before and when very cold this loses some of that spice and astringency, and gets a bit more oaky. Unfortunately it also makes a much shorter finish and the taste is less pungent but loses its bite, so it's worth letting it warm back up a little to get that spice and burnt flavour. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 0 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 51.4% Bottler : -	Type : - Region : Kentucky Water : - Ice : - Glass : Glencairn Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ryguy]

Nice notes everyone! I will be adding to this either late on this evening, or tomorrow. I have a few nice ones to taste, so it should be interesting. Thanks for the great notes so far!

Cheers!

[Ganga]

TS, I'm working on your suggestion. Joshua Brook is currently in the freezer. I'll go get it in about 15 minutes. Meanwhile pouring some IW Harper.

Oh yes, and I see Ryan did a fly by.

[TreacleSponge]

Next up, Blanton's Gold

Blanton's Gold
Brand : Blanton's Gold (Buffalo Trace) Expression : Blanton's Gold
Nose : To start, caramels. Then after time, leatherbound old books. A little longer and it smells like when you lift the lid off a box of mixed chocolates. Then the vanilla gets stronger and in comes bread and marmalade. Palate : Caramel and vanilla, and fruity sweetness. Orangey but not powerfully so - like satsumas or mandarins (big ones with seeds in and not a lot of citric oomph) Finish : Gentle spice, a little white pepper, gentle oak eventually. Dries at first, then a burst of sweetness returns. Comment : Very subtle, a gentle bourbon. Thanks to Willie for this. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 0 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 51.5% Bottler : -	Type : - Region : Kentucky Water : - Ice : - Glass : Glencairn Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ganga]

You guys just make me want to go investigate more and more bourbons. Blanton's, looks like another one to go investigate.

[Ganga]

IW Harper 15
Brand : IW Harper Expression : 15 yo
Nose : Hot August evening on a combine, milk chocolate covered caramels, wood shavings, vanilla Palate : creamy caramel, buttery, touch of mintiness, spritz of lemon pledge Finish : long, rye coming in over the caramel Comment : - Colour : reddish gold Score : 0
Age : 15 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 40% Bottler : IW Harper Distilling	Type : Bourbon Region : Kentucky Water : - Ice : - Glass : Glencairn Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[TreacleSponge]

:shock: You guys just make me want to go investigate more and more bourbons. Blanton's, looks like another one to go investigate.

Haha, yes these live tastings just make me want to buy more bottles. Other people's notes always sound so enticing

[Ganga]

Added a couple drops of water. Intensifies the palate, brings the rye further forward and more into the palate than the finish.

[Ganga]

:shock: You guys just make me want to go investigate more and more bourbons. Blanton's, looks like another one to go investigate.

Haha, yes these live tastings just make me want to buy more bottles. Other people's notes always sound so enticing

I try to get whiskies for these tastings that I've not had before (as much as possible). It then becomes a fresh experience and I'm not selecting just the best whiskies to share notes on.

I'm hoping my Glenfarclas gets here from TWE in time for the Glenfarclas tasting. It will either be outstanding or way too woody as its 43.

[TreacleSponge]

Four Roses Small Batch
Brand : Four Roses Expression : Four Roses Small Batch
Nose : Nail varnish remover and quite floral. Vanilla, soft caramel, then marshmallows. In time it becomes buttery. Palate : Very sweet velvety notes like syrup sponge. Mixed sweets - a little like jellybeans. Then bread and butter followed by cinnamon. Throughout all this there's a lovely layer of wood, which starts as barely-there sawdust and builds up to a charred barrel. Finish : It's an interesting finish - it becomes much woodier, and the mild gingery heat kicks in near the end, then it sweetens up again. Comment : Smoother than the WT Rare Breed. More bite (and so better, I think) than Four Roses Single Barrel. Great finish, just as I thought it had gone there was another surge of sweetness bursting through that dry oak. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 0 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 45% Bottler : -	Type : - Region : Kentucky Water : - Ice : - Glass : Glencairn Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.